STAGE star Carley Stenson will be treading the boards close to home as part of a show at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre based on classic 1980s film comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

She plays a millionaire heiress who two seasoned swindlers attempt to hoodwink on the French Riviera. Michael Praed and Noel Sullivan take on the roles played on the big screen by Sir Michael Caine and Steve Martin during the show, which runs from July 7-18. It takes the audience back to the French Riviera and its decadent underworld. As the pair compete in the true art of the con, they discover there is only room for one of them. Also in the cast is Mark Benton, who plays conman Andre.

Carley, whose run in the show started in Birmingham earlier in the summer, has described it as a “fun-filled gorgeous show”. It is the latest step in a stage career that has seen her star on the West End as Princess Fiona in Shrek at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and play Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre and take on the role of the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since leaving Hollyoaks in 2011, the 32-year-old from Billinge has also took on television work, including a role in Channel 5’s gritty police drama last year. But Carley makes no secret that she enjoys the glamorous roles and she looked at home at the Liverpool Waterfront for a promotional photo shoot last week.

Noel – who was a member of the pop band Hear’Say – is Freddie Benson, the role played by Steve Martin on screen.

Michael Praed – who played Robin Hood in 1980s TV series Robin Of Sherwood – plays the Michael Caine character Lawrence Jamieson.

The show is directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell and has music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award winner David Yazbek. Already tour dates have included Sunderland, Glasgow and Manchester.

Tickets are from the Liverpool Empire box office on 0844 871 3017 or www.atgtickets.com/liverpool.